DLM
12-30-2004, 04:25 PM
Government asks Canadian families to collect forensic evidence for id purposes
Thu Dec 30,
OTTAWA (CP) - Canadians awaiting word on missing family or friends in south Asia are being asked to provide forensic evidence to help identify their loved ones.
A federal government official said Thursday the Foreign Affairs Department will begin contacting families asking them to begin the grim task.
The official, who asked not be identified, says families will be asked to search for dental x-rays, fingerprints, even hair or pieces of skin.
The information will be sent to Thailand, and possibly other countries, and the DNA will be used to identify victims of this week's devastating tsunami.
Thai officials say visual identification of bodies is no longer possible, given their state of decay. They warn it could be weeks, or even months, before some victims are positively identified.
Canada is also considering sending forensic experts to the region to help with identifications.
"We need more forensic experts to help identify the nationality of the dead," Stanchart Devahastin, Thailand's ambassador to Canada, told an Ottawa news conference Thursday.
"We also need body bags - a larger size than we have ever needed before." He said some have already been sent from an Ottawa hospital.
The death toll from the earthquake and resulting tsunami that roared across the Indian Ocean on Sunday was 115,000 and climbing by Thursday.
The toll so far is highest in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. At least seven other countries have reported deaths in the disaster, which struck a heavily-populated band of the tropics that also attracts tourists from all corners.
At least three Canadians were among the many foreigners killed - two in Thailand and one in Sri Lanka, Canadian Foreign Affairs said. Two others were officially listed as missing, and 12 listed were injured.
Quebec's TVA television network reported Tuesday that Mathieu Lafond, 28, of Repentigny near Montreal, was killed.
The Ottawa Sun reported Thursday that Gilles Bouchard, a teacher from Gatineau, Que., is confirmed dead. The identity of the Canadian killed in Sri Lanka has not been released.
At the Thursday news conference, Geethangani De Silva, Sri Lanka's high commissioner in Ottawa said her country appreciates assistance being provided by Canadians, no matter what form it comes in.
Herman Mala, Indonesia's charge d'affaires in Ottawa also appealing for more relief supplies, and thanked Canada for its support so far.
The Thai government now says that reports of 13 Canadians killed in that country were mistaken.
A Canadian official says the Thai foreign affairs minister has instructed its embassy in Ottawa to issue a statement correcting the earlier report.
But Thai officials warn the death count for foreign tourists will rise as bodies are identified.
Almost 2,000 people are confirmed dead in Thailand. Officials say 345 foreigners have been identified and another 286 are still unidentified. A further 5,800 people are still missing.
Thu Dec 30,
OTTAWA (CP) - Canadians awaiting word on missing family or friends in south Asia are being asked to provide forensic evidence to help identify their loved ones.
A federal government official said Thursday the Foreign Affairs Department will begin contacting families asking them to begin the grim task.
The official, who asked not be identified, says families will be asked to search for dental x-rays, fingerprints, even hair or pieces of skin.
The information will be sent to Thailand, and possibly other countries, and the DNA will be used to identify victims of this week's devastating tsunami.
Thai officials say visual identification of bodies is no longer possible, given their state of decay. They warn it could be weeks, or even months, before some victims are positively identified.
Canada is also considering sending forensic experts to the region to help with identifications.
"We need more forensic experts to help identify the nationality of the dead," Stanchart Devahastin, Thailand's ambassador to Canada, told an Ottawa news conference Thursday.
"We also need body bags - a larger size than we have ever needed before." He said some have already been sent from an Ottawa hospital.
The death toll from the earthquake and resulting tsunami that roared across the Indian Ocean on Sunday was 115,000 and climbing by Thursday.
The toll so far is highest in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. At least seven other countries have reported deaths in the disaster, which struck a heavily-populated band of the tropics that also attracts tourists from all corners.
At least three Canadians were among the many foreigners killed - two in Thailand and one in Sri Lanka, Canadian Foreign Affairs said. Two others were officially listed as missing, and 12 listed were injured.
Quebec's TVA television network reported Tuesday that Mathieu Lafond, 28, of Repentigny near Montreal, was killed.
The Ottawa Sun reported Thursday that Gilles Bouchard, a teacher from Gatineau, Que., is confirmed dead. The identity of the Canadian killed in Sri Lanka has not been released.
At the Thursday news conference, Geethangani De Silva, Sri Lanka's high commissioner in Ottawa said her country appreciates assistance being provided by Canadians, no matter what form it comes in.
Herman Mala, Indonesia's charge d'affaires in Ottawa also appealing for more relief supplies, and thanked Canada for its support so far.
The Thai government now says that reports of 13 Canadians killed in that country were mistaken.
A Canadian official says the Thai foreign affairs minister has instructed its embassy in Ottawa to issue a statement correcting the earlier report.
But Thai officials warn the death count for foreign tourists will rise as bodies are identified.
Almost 2,000 people are confirmed dead in Thailand. Officials say 345 foreigners have been identified and another 286 are still unidentified. A further 5,800 people are still missing.